opinion
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many industries to adapt on the fly, and education is no exception. With many schools remaining closed in the fall, a significant number of students in the U.S. will be relegated to online learning this fall. As Americans have adjusted to life at home residential broadband usage has spiked, straining internet capacity. Now that schools are moving online, it’s paramount that the United States continues its work to expand the mid-band spectrum for 5G development.
As the school year kicks off, it is important to understand the challenges in the country surrounding connectivity and access to broadband. Initial projections from the FCC estimate at least 21 million Americans will have no connection to the internet at all, and that’s likely underprojected. More than 19 million Americans live in rural parts of the country, which is approximately the entire population of New York state. Americans deserve a quality education, regardless of their circumstances. They shouldn’t be at a disadvantage simply because they don’t live in a city.
Yet nearly 1 in 5 students struggle to complete their homework due in part to the lack of a stable internet connection. That’s highly alarming going into the school year with so many students learning from home.
But wait, it gets worse. Students aren’t alone in their predicament. The pandemic sent workers home, too. Not only will students struggle with unreliable connection, they’ll have to fight over the bandwidth with telecommuting adults. Everyone is going to be tapping into residential internet broadband.
Luckily, there’s someone who’s prepared to address the issues facing students and families. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has a plan that puts America in a position to succeed. Pai recently held an auction for the CBRS portion of mid-band spectrum that will expedite the development of 5G in the country.
Mid-band spectrum is important because this particular range of broadband, which has been identified as ideal for 5G deployment, will allow for 5G to reach farther than the millimeter waves it’s currently working with in cities. This will improve connection and speed across the country, and will help close the digital divide.
Telecom companies recognize the value of mid-band spectrum. The FCC raised over $4 billion in the auction, money which goes directly into the treasury’s coffers. The results of the auction for the CBRS band offer promising outlook for the upcoming auction of 280 megahertz of the c-band spectrum in December. Granting commercial access to this crucial band of spectrum helps companies working to deploy 5G in the U.S. and around the globe.
Additionally, Pai’s plan would offer incentive payments to companies looking to reposition their satellites and move them off the 300 megahertz they currently occupy in the mid-band spectrum. This, too, would free up more space for cellular and 5G networks.
Developing 5G technology would dramatically improve network efficiency, which would support the increasing traffic of residential internet.
Additionally, it could empower schools to experiment with other technologies, like artificial and virtual reality, which could revolutionize home education. It could even help special needs students by empowering companies to improve upon existing assistance tools to mitigate their loss of crucial in-person learning. Such innovation is currently impossible with 4G, but 5G would pave the way.
The United States had been behind in the race for 5G. Other countries have dedicated more spectrum towards 5G development, whereas spectrum in the U.S. that could be used for development is being hogged — and largely wasted — by federal agencies. For decades, mid-band spectrum reserved for radio has sat unused. Since the 1960s the Pentagon has notoriously held on to large swaths of this valuable spectrum; how they’re using it and what for remains unclear. It’s time for this to change.
While students and families continue to adjust to challenges brought about by COVID-19, it is important that broadband is able to adjust as well. Opening up access to spectrum in the c-band is a simple but crucial step in the process that will benefit all Americans.
James Czerniawski is the tech and innovation policy analyst with the Libertas Institute, a free-market think tank in Utah, and an associate contributor with Young Voices. His work has been featured in The National Interest, RealClear Policy, The Salt Lake Tribune, and more.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe to The Detroit News for $3 for three months for full access to all of our op-eds, columns and editorials to access all of the best conservative commentary in the state.
"Opinion" - Google News
September 08, 2020 at 07:43AM
https://ift.tt/3iab22q
Opinion: How 5G can bring broadband to everyone and solve the education divide - The Detroit News
"Opinion" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FkSo6m
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment